The subject matter of this invention concerns an endoscope, in particular a flexible endoscope, having a housing which houses piston and cylinder type valves.
An air/water and aspiration endoscope generally has two valves to control channels, for example, an air channel, a water channel, and an aspiration channel, which run inside the endoscope housing from the distal to the proximal end.
Using these channels and their valves, the operating personnel, for example, a physician, can perform a great number of different tasks. For example, by activating the air and/or water valve, it is possible to rinse a soiled optical system that is attached to the distal end of the endoscope with water or a mixture of air and water. A different activation mode of the air and/or water valve, on the other hand, may be used to dilate internal organs, such as intestine, stomach, etc., for the purpose of observation or surgical interventions or to facilitate the further insertion of the endoscope.
By activating the aspiration valve, on the other hand, it is possible to aspirate soiled material, secretions, water, blood or other fluids, or air, etc., from the distal end via the aspiration channel.
For this purpose, the channels are connected on the proximal end with suitable sources, i.e., positive air pressure, a water tank, and negative air pressure or a vacuum.
In particular the aspiration channel may be prone to potential soiling that can be caused by different secretions or even small solids, such as granular material or similar substances.
To clean such conventionally used endoscopes, it is therefore possible to pull out or remove the valve pistons from the cylinders, for example, by unscrewing the collars. As a result, it is therefore easy to clean the valve pistons after removal from the cylinders while the valve cylinders inside the endoscope housing must be cleaned with brushes. Since it is difficult to gain access to the valve openings in the valve cylinders, a hygienically faultless cleaning of these openings and the channels connected thereto can be accomplished only in a relatively labor-intensive manner.
Thus, the problem that this invention seeks to solve is to make available a valve for an endoscope as well as an endoscope with valves disposed on the proximal end of the endoscope, which makes possible a hygienically faultless cleaning of the valves and the channel regions connected thereto in a way that is simple and convenient, rapid and inexpensive.
By designing a plurality of valves in the form of a valve module which is detachably connected to an appropriately complementary recess in the endoscope housing, it is not only possible to remove the valve pistons from the valve cylinder, as can be done with conventional endoscopes, but the valve cylinders as such. As a result, the entire valve block that comprises several valves or the valve module of the endoscope according to this invention can be removed or taken off by the operating personnel and, being therefore readily accessible, it can be advantageously cleaned in a hygienically faultless manner, for example, in an autoclave.
Furthermore, as a result of the fact that the recess in the endoscope is of necessity larger than a valve cylinder and thus more readily accessible, cleaning with brushes is made easier.
In addition, as a result of the improved accessibility of the valve or the valve module and of the recess in the endoscope, the design according to this invention makes it easier to carry out maintenance and repair work. For example, old valves or valves of different designs can be easily replaced or changed by the operating personnel by simply replacing the entire module with new valves or with special valves intended for a specific application.
In one particular embodiment of this invention, the valve piston of a minimum of one valve in the valve cylinder is designed so as to be removable. This increases the ease of cleaning, repairing and maintaining the device even more since the ability to remove the valve piston makes the inside of each valve readily accessible so that the inside of the valve as well as the piston can be easily and comfortably cleaned in a hygienically faultless manner, for example, in an autoclave.
In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the valves are designed as air and/or water valves and/or aspiration valves. This provides the operating personnel with the following choices:
1. To blow air from the proximal end or from a source of positive air pressure that is connected to the supply tube via the air and/or water valve into the distal end into an organ, for example, the stomach, intestine, etc., of the person to be treated. Such an inflation is often necessary to make the head of the endoscope more readily movable during the insertion or to carry out a surgical intervention at the targeted site.
2. Using a different activation mode of the air and/or water valve, the operator, by means of an injection of water or a mixture of water and air, is able to rinse instruments, such as an optical system, that are soiled at the distal end, without having to interrupt the treatment by removing the endoscope.
3. And finally, by activating the aspiration valve, it is possible to siphon off secretions, solid material, blood, water, and other fluids from the distal end for medical reasons or for medical purposes.
In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the air and/or water valve is therefore connected to the air and water channels that are located inside a supply tube as well as to the air and water channels which, inside the housing of the endoscope, run in the direction of the shaft of the endoscope. As a result of different piston positions, it is thus possible for an operator to easily control the different operation modesxe2x80x940xe2x80x94position, air, air and water mixture, and only water.
In yet another embodiment of this invention, the valve module can be inserted by means of a guide mechanism into the recess and can there be locked into position. This makes it easier to insert and remove the valve module since as a result of the fact that the valve module is automatically centered, it is no longer necessary to pay special attention to an exact final positioning.
The guide mechanism can provide a horizontal and/or vertical feed, thus ensuring that during insertion of the valve module into the recess, all sealing points are simultaneously and uniformly pressed onto and/or into their corresponding channel inlets.
As a result of the separate development of a valve module according to this invention, it is also possible to make such a module available as a separate replacement component, as a result of which an expensive repair can be avoided since the old module can be simply exchanged for a new one.